---
id: KB-NO-027
url: https://app.codecontract.io/help/regulation/asked-for-information-i-dont-want-to-share
idioma: en
categoria: normativa
subcategoria: cadena
audiencia: usuario
nivel: intermedio
actualizado: 2026-08-13
tambienEn: [es]
relacionados: [KB-NO-023, KB-PR-028]
citadoPor: [KB-NO-014]
---

# They ask for information I don't want to share

_Saying so is legitimate, and there is usually a middle path: most of the time they need proof, not the whole document._

**Responde a:** asked for confidential company information · can i refuse to give a client information · they want my purchase prices · how far can i refuse to share paperwork

**You can say no, and saying it well does not damage the relationship.** What damages it is silence, or an «I'll send it» that never arrives. And before reaching a flat no, there is nearly always a middle path that serves them just as well.

## What they actually need, nearly always

| They ask for | What usually suffices |
| --- | --- |
| Your whole contract with your supplier | A letter from them confirming the point at issue |
| Your costings or purchase prices | A declaration of origin or composition |
| Your staff's details | A certificate from your company, without the names |
| Your internal procedures | The index, or the specific section that affects them |

> [!IMPORTANT]
> **The sentence that opens almost every door is «what do you need to be able to demonstrate?».** Requesters have usually copied the list from elsewhere and never asked themselves whether they need the whole document or just the fact inside it. The moment they phrase it, the reduced version appears — and that version leaves you comfortable while serving them exactly as well.

## How to say no without slamming a door

1. **Say which part you can, in the same sentence** — «Not the contract, but yes a letter confirming X».
2. **Give the reason in one line** — «It contains third-party prices» lands; «company policy» says nothing.
3. **Offer the alternative yourself** — Whoever proposes the way out is the one who defines it.
4. **And put it in writing** — So that a year from now, what was asked and agreed is on record.

> [!WARNING]
> There is one case where refusing is not merely legitimate but correct: **when what they want contains data about people or about a third party who has not consented**. There the issue is not your confidentiality, it is that it is not yours to hand out. The way out is the same —a certificate evidencing the fact without the data— and it is worth saying why, because requesters often had not realised what they were asking for.

> [!NOTE]
> What information may be required within a contractual relationship, what a confidentiality agreement protects, and what limits data protection imposes when the document concerns third parties depends on the contract and the case. **Your adviser settles that**; here we explain how to reach that conversation with an alternative on the table rather than a refusal.

**Can I refuse without giving a reason?**

You can, but one line of reason changes how it is received.

**What if they insist?**

Ask them what they need to demonstrate. It usually unblocks.

**Does signing an NDA help?**

Sometimes yes, and proposing one shows you are not hiding.

## Ejemplos

**A client asks for your full contract with your supplier, which contains third-party prices.**

- Offers a letter from the supplier confirming the specific point that concerns the client

→ The client gets what they need to demonstrate and the prices stay inside your company.

**You are asked for the staff list with their personal details.**

- Proposes a company certificate evidencing the fact without the names

→ The requirement is met without handing out data on people who never agreed to it.

**The whole document is sent when part would have done.**

- Asks what exactly they need to verify

→ You deliver what addresses their need.

**It is refused with no alternative offered.**

- Offers the equivalent proof that can be given

→ The conversation moves instead of stalling.

**The document contains third-party data.**

- Says so and proposes a version without it

→ What was not yours to give is protected.

**It is handed over under pressure and cannot be taken back.**

- Decides before sending, not during the call

→ The decision is not taken under pressure.